Analyses

Analyses 1 to 1

Recent years have seen an increase in attacks against state representatives, notably the police, across Germany. Some perpetrators of those attacks have been found to represent an ideology that opposes the state and its representatives and, more specifically, considers the modern German state to be illegitimate. Since the deadly shooting of a police officer by a so-called Reichsbürger in 2016, the movement has not only attracted media attention but also triggered increased monitoring by security authorities. This briefing aims to give insight into the phenomenon of the Reich citizen movement. The first section of the briefing provides an overall description of the movement, includ-ing a definition of the term 'Reichsbürger' and key data provided by German security authorities. The second part reviews the incidents that involved members of the said movement.